Roots

The roots music of the week reviewed...

"The argument has been made that rock'n'roll is dead. Well, if it is, the Mojo Gurus are refusing to attend the funeral." If we had a euro for every time that has been said we could make serious inroads into the national debt, and if we had a dollar for every time Chuck Berry's riffs have been unleashed we could clear it. But what this Florida quartet lacks in originality they make up with a revved-up, colourful collision of southern rock, country, rock'n'roll and comic-book attitude. Vocalist Kevin Steele is responsible for the latter and also for lyrics that must have glued his tongue to his cheek. It has bar band written all over it, carries a warning (MUST BE PLAYED LOUD), and will leave bodies shaking all over – whether they can or not. www.mojogurus.com JOE BREEN

Download tracks: Let's Get Lit, Bucket of Blood

The Unthanks

Here's the tender coming

Rabble Rouser/EMI ****

The Unthank's album The Bairns(2007) was an arresting combination of Tyneside voices and stark, hard- hitting folksong that won many admirers outside its genre. The follow-up draws from a broader sound palette, is beautifully sung and played, but doesn't have quite the impact of its darker predecessor. Rachel's husband, Adrian McNally, is now on keyboards, and his string and horn arrangements provide extra musical textures. The material is well-chosen from traditional and English folk sources, the voices remain hauntingly sweet, sad and distinctive. And, while the overall tone is brighter and warmer than previously, the bleakness is not entirely absent. For example, the title track refers, not to gentle embraces, but to the boat that press-gangs men to sea! www.the-unthanks.com NIGEL WOOD

Download tracks: Sad February, Flowers of the Town, Here's the Tender Coming